What will Rabbi Meir do when his primary teacher of Torah, Elisha ben Avuyah, turns heretic and colludes with the Romans in oppressing his own people? The rabbis refuse to even speak his name. Reviled and ostracized, Elisha is left alone in a private hell of his own making.

Now Rabbi Meir, a brilliant and daring leader, must choose how to respond. Will he side with his colleagues and turn away from Elisha? Or, knowing Elisha as no one else knows him, will his conscience dictate another solution?

We’ll discuss this question in our fifth lesson in Portraits in Leadership: Timeless Tales for Inspired Living. I look forward to seeing you next Tuesday at the Chabad Torah Centre.